BY DR. ALAN
GOLDBERG//COMPETITIVEDGE.COM
THE PROBLEM
The secret
to swimming fast under BIG meet pressure is simple to understand and yet so
much harder to do: You have to learn to stay physically loose and mentally
composed behind the blocks before your races. If you allow yourself to get
too nervous pre-race, your muscles will get too tight for you to swim to your
potential. What's the biggest cause of out-of-control, pre-race nervousness? FOCUSING
ON THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T DIRECTLY CONTROL! Swimmers who go into their
events thinking about and/or focusing on these “UCs” orUNCONTROLLABLES will
always lose their confidence and get derailed by runaway nerves.
AN
EXAMPLE
Sandy
qualified for Nationals for the very first time in her life, a dream come true!
Initially she was thrilled and so proud to be able to compete in this meet,
being one of a select few from her club who was going. However, as the date of
the meet crept closer, her excitement slowly began to morph into worry and then
outright fear. No matter what she tried, she couldn't stop herself from
thinking about the other “unbelievably fast” swimmers who would be there. As
she entertained these thoughts, and shared them with teammates, her
self-confidence started to crumble. By the time she got to the meet, she was
filled with a sense of dread, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. She
couldn't seem to stop focusing on how good some of these athletes were. They
were swimmers whom she had been reading about in the swim magazines over the
years, and here she was going to race against them? I don't think so! What she
really wanted to do was get their autographs and then get out of there!
She was a nervous wreck behind the blocks. She felt like she didn't belong in this heat or the meet and couldn't stop comparing herself to the racer in the next lane whose seed time was just a little faster than hers. When the starter called the swimmers up on the blocks she felt physically paralyzed and could barely catch a breath! Her race performance reflected exactly this. She swam terribly, adding a good 7 seconds from her qualifying time and recording the slowest time in this event.
She was a nervous wreck behind the blocks. She felt like she didn't belong in this heat or the meet and couldn't stop comparing herself to the racer in the next lane whose seed time was just a little faster than hers. When the starter called the swimmers up on the blocks she felt physically paralyzed and could barely catch a breath! Her race performance reflected exactly this. She swam terribly, adding a good 7 seconds from her qualifying time and recording the slowest time in this event.
WHAT ARE
THE UNCONTROLLABLES
The UCs
reflect all of the things both before and during the meet that you have no DIRECT control
over, and“DIRECT” is the key word here. When you go into a meet or race,
and either before or during your event, you are concentrating on things that
are directly out of your control, you'll get nervous, lose your confidence and
swim poorly. In Sandy's case, the huge UC she was concentrating on was the
competition. As a swimmer you have no direct control over your competition and
how big, strong or fast they are. No matter what you do, you can't directly
control how fast another swimmer goes. You can only control what is going on in
between your lane lines.
BEWARE OF
THESE UNCONTROLLABLES
The venue
and whether the pool is “fast” or “slow.”
How your
training and/or taper has gone up until this point, (the past).
Your
opponent's size, reputation and speed.
Your last
event and anything else in the PAST.
How fast
you'll swim, whether you'll final, i.e. anything in the FUTURE.
Other's
expectations of you/what they'll think or say about you.
Who is
watching.
Whether
your parents will be disappointed in you.
Your coach
and how he/she acts before and after your events.
How big
this meet or race is.
How you
feel that day, both physically or emotionally.
How fast
your teammates are swimming.
The time of
your races.
The
officiating.
The kind of
warm-up you have.
Things
going on in your life outside of swimming, i.e. academic/personal.
The
unexpected, i.e. the touch pads fail and you have to wait.
HANDLING
THE UNCONTROLLABLES
Understand
that the UCs are mental traps and they are lying in wait for you and every
other swimmer at the meet. How do you avoid a trap? First, YOU HAVE TO SEE
IT! You have to be aware of what your uncontrollables are. That is, what
are the things that happen out of your control that tend to get you upset and
run away with your composure? Make your own list of these UCs and put it up in
your bedroom so that you will be able to clearly see it every day. Awareness
is a key first step here! You avoid the UCs by first knowing that what
you're paying attention to right now is out of your control.
Second, you have to discipline yourself to quickly return your focus of concentration back to what you are doing right now that you CAN control.
For example, if you're behind the blocks and suddenly start thinking about how good the swimmer in the next lane is, then quickly bring your focus back to your set pre-race ritual, i.e. look down at the back of the blocks, focus on the feel of your stretch, slow and deepen your breathing, jump up and down, etc.
Remember that the uncontrollables usually happen unexpectedly, and because of this, they will temporarily capture your focus. However, as long as you immediately become aware that your concentration has drifted off, and then you quickly return it to things that you can control, you will avoid falling into this performance-disrupting trap!
Second, you have to discipline yourself to quickly return your focus of concentration back to what you are doing right now that you CAN control.
For example, if you're behind the blocks and suddenly start thinking about how good the swimmer in the next lane is, then quickly bring your focus back to your set pre-race ritual, i.e. look down at the back of the blocks, focus on the feel of your stretch, slow and deepen your breathing, jump up and down, etc.
Remember that the uncontrollables usually happen unexpectedly, and because of this, they will temporarily capture your focus. However, as long as you immediately become aware that your concentration has drifted off, and then you quickly return it to things that you can control, you will avoid falling into this performance-disrupting trap!
As a sports psychology consultant, Dr. Alan
Goldberg works with swimmers at every level. A presenter at the Olympic Training Center, swim
coaches clinics and clubs around the country, Dr. G specializes in helping
swimmers struggling with performance problems, get unstuck and swim fast when
it counts the most. He works over Skype, providing one-on-one consultation with
swimmers and other athletes around the world. Dr. G has written over 35 mental
toughness training programs and books. In addition, he is a regular contributor
to Splash Magazine.
For more FREE mental toughness tips and swim articles, go to Dr. Goldberg's website, www.competitivedge.com and click on “choose your sport” and then “swimming.” You can also visit him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and sign up for his free, monthly mental toughness newsletter.
Questions? I hope you'll feel free to contact Dr. Goldberg at Goldberg@competitivedge.com or call directly 413.549.1085.
For more FREE mental toughness tips and swim articles, go to Dr. Goldberg's website, www.competitivedge.com and click on “choose your sport” and then “swimming.” You can also visit him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and sign up for his free, monthly mental toughness newsletter.
Questions? I hope you'll feel free to contact Dr. Goldberg at Goldberg@competitivedge.com or call directly 413.549.1085.
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